As TASS reported earlier, Russia sent Turkey two proposals for an intergovernmental agreement on the Turkish stream, on one pipeline and on four

PROKOPRVSK (Kemerovo Region) August 28. /TASS/ Russia has not received from Turkey new intergovernmental agreements on the Turkish Stream, said Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Friday.

"We have exchanged intergovernmental agreements drafts, but that was back in June, that is, we have not received more recent materials from the Turkish side. I think that until the issue is resolved with the Turkish Government, it is unlikely that we will be able to obtain the relevant projects," he said.

According to Novak, the Russian side is ready to fly to Turkey at any moment to resolve the following issue. "Currently, we are ready to fly out with our team in order to resolve any differences that be in the original text," the minister said.

Last week, a source close to the negotiation told TASS that Russia hasn't received a draft agreement on the Turkish Stream from the Turkish side. Earlier, Acting Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said that Turkey's Ministry of Energy has sent Russia a draft agreement on the Turkish Stream and is waiting for a response.

As TASS reported earlier, Russia sent Turkey two proposals for an intergovernmental agreement on the Turkish stream, on one pipeline and on four.

At the end of July, Novak said that Russia is ready to sign an intergovernmental agreement on 1 line of the Turkish Stream within 1-2 weeks. "Everything will depend on the Turkish Stream as we’ve submitted our agreement project to the Turkish side. They’re now studying it. We expect to receive their response to our suggestion," he said. Novak added that Russia expects to sign an intergovernmental agreement within the shortest possible time as it’s ready to do it "within a week or two."

A source in Russia’s Energy Ministry told TASS that at the level of the heads of states (Russia and Turkey — TASS) a decision on a phased implementation of the project has been made. "Russia is ready for a phased implementation of the project," the source said. Thus, the sides are currently negotiating documents regarding 1 line of the Turkish Stream, which will supply Russian gas exclusively for the needs of the Republic. An intergovernmental agreement on 2-4 lines of the pipeline, which are expected to transfer gas to the EU countries, will be included in a separate document, the source said.

On August 3, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources said Russia had sent a request for 4 lines of the pipeline.

On December 1, 2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his visit to Ankara that Russia abandoned the South Stream project, and was embarking on the Turkish Stream instead. The project to build the South Stream gas pipeline was closed due to the European Union’s unconstructive approach to cooperation, including Bulgaria’s decision to stop the construction of the pipeline’s stretch on its territory. Putin said Russia would build a gas pipeline to Turkey where a gas hub on the border with Europe will be created. Gazprom and Turkey’s Botas signed a memorandum of understanding on building the pipeline’s offshore section across the Black Sea. Gazprom Russkaya was set up to be in charge of the pipeline construction.

The larger part of the Turkish Stream pipeline will run across the Black Sea and coincide with the South Stream route approved earlier. The pipeline’s underwater section is 900 km long; land section is 180 km long. The pipeline will have a capacity of 63 bln cubic meters, of which about 16 bln cubic meters will be given to Turkey. Unlike the South Stream, which implied a large-scale infrastructure construction in Europe, the Turkish Stream project is limited to the construction of a pipeline under the Black Sea and a gas hub on the border between Turkey and Greece. The remaining part of infrastructure will have to be built by Gazprom’s European customers.